Which is the highest sporting honour conferred by the Government of India?
- A.Arjuna Award
- B.Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award
- C.Dronacharya Award
- D.Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. Instituted in 1991 and 1992 and renamed in August 2021, it is given for the most spectacular and outstanding performance by a sportsperson over the four preceding years and stands at the top of the national sports awards. Option A is wrong because the Arjuna Award, though the oldest of the group and highly regarded, recognises consistently outstanding performance and ranks below the Khel Ratna. Option C is wrong because the Dronacharya Award is not a player's award at all; it honours coaches whose trainees have won international honours. Option D is wrong because the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award belongs to adventure activity on land, at sea and in the air, not to competitive sport. The order worth memorising is Khel Ratna, then Arjuna, with Dronacharya for coaches alongside them.
Read the full article: Sports Awards of India: Khel Ratna, Arjuna and Dronacharya
Practice Questions
View allWho was the first recipient of the Khel Ratna Award?
- A.Viswanathan Anand
- B.Leander Paes
- C.Kapil Dev
- D.Karnam Malleswari
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The correct answer is A, Viswanathan Anand, the chess grandmaster, who received the award in its very first year, 1991 and 1992, when it was still called the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.
Read the full explanation →The Dronacharya Award is given to:
- A.Sportspersons for lifetime achievement
- B.Coaches of sportspersons
- C.Corporate houses promoting sport
- D.Universities with the best sporting record
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Instituted in 1985 and named after the teacher of the Pandavas and the Kauravas, it honours coaches whose trainees have won medals and honours at international events, and it is given in a regular category and a lifetime category.
Read the full explanation →In which year was the Arjuna Award instituted?
- A.1951
- B.1961
- C.1985
- D.1991
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The Arjuna Award is the oldest of the individual national sports awards and is given for consistently outstanding performance over four years, together with qualities of leadership, discipline and sportsmanship; the awardee receives a bronze statuette of Arjuna, a scroll and a cash prize.
Read the full explanation →National Sports Day, on which the sports awards are traditionally conferred, is observed on:
- A.29 August
- B.14 November
- C.23 January
- D.5 September
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The national sports awards are conferred by the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan on this day.
Read the full explanation →The Dhyan Chand Award, instituted in 2002, is given for:
- A.The best performance in a single season
- B.Lifetime achievement in sports
- C.Excellence in coaching
- D.Promotion of sport by an institution
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The Dhyan Chand Award goes to a sportsperson who performed with distinction in the past and has continued to serve the game after retiring, whether by coaching, organising or promoting it.
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